Is Afro-Pessimism a New Trend In American Literature?

Abstract

The history of the racial struggle of the Afro-American people is long and painful. In different turns of history, it seemed that the struggle was successful in establishing the rights of Afro-American men and women on the soil of the USA. However, hopes vanished into utter uncertainty and frustration very soon. The Emancipation Proclamation gave hope to the millions, but this optimism did not last long. Even the Civil Rights Movement seemed to usher in a new era, but things did not change as expected. Even the twenty-first century has recorded some heart-rending incidents of racial injustices, like the murder of George Perry Floyd Jr. in 20202. Hence began the new era of pessimism regarding the future of racial justice in the USA. The novels published in recent times exude utter pessimism, showing the long patient struggle has fallen flat. This essay will particularly explore with special references to Jason Mott’s Hell of a Book (2021) and Nawali Serpell’s The Furrows (2022) if the long struggle for racial justice in the USA has failed, resulting in Afro-pessimism.